Tag: Andhra Pradesh

“Wait till its complete.. dont tell anything before that” is a usual statement we hear.. “Once completed it will be beautiful”.. “Once complete it will attract crowd in lakhs”..Completeness is what we normally hear to actually appreciate

But here it is present. The structure wasnt completed.. Bits and pieces still lie around..But whatever has been completed attracts everyone.

Welcome to Lepakshi!!!

Situated near the border of the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, this unfinished attraction attracts people in lakhs. Its a weekend drive from Bangalore. What happened actually??

Like any other regime, the Vijayanagar Empire too had their contributions towards the art & architecture. So the Governors under the Empire  approached one of the Rulers decided about converting some of the boulders of Anantapur District into a Temple and trusted the work to one of his closest architects. And thus began the work on the Veerabhadra Temple (Incarnation of Lord shiva) of Lepakshi in the district. Work progressed at a good pace

One of the architects involved in the work, on a fine day, told his beloved mother to keep the food ready for him while he carries on his work. His mother, on completing the work, came over to oversee the son’s duties. As she came, she saw a beautifully carved 5 headed snake from a boulder (As above). Impressed by the work, the mother utters ” Such a beautiful work in shortest span”.. the stone immediately develops a crack and the beauty is slightly lost

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As the temple was dedicated to Lord Shiva, it was mandatory that a Nandi or the Bull is to be present. A boulder found few metres away from the proposed temple was carved out for this purpose and the outcome was a large monolith bull directly facing the temple housing the Lord

The Architect involved in the work was a complete engineer showcasing his talent. He showed his ability that not everything be supported from the ground, but some of the support can be suspended from the ceiling too. Thus came out this pillar, which at the base is not placed on the ground but a few inches above suspended from top

Well if everything went as per plan, then Lepakshi would have been a normal temple with Vijayanagar architecture. Fate had other plans.. Conspiracy was plotted. A jealous minister to the Ruler  poisoned his ears.. Said that the money was being wasted by the Governor on such architectural things which werent actually required. That no  work was happening and money was being swindled The plan worked..The Ruler was enraged. He approaches the site of construction. Orders the work to stop.. When his orders werent obeyed, the eyes of the major architect was gouged out.. Blood in the temple. Work comes to a standstill… Remains till today where it was stopped.

The Pillars of the mantap remained mere piillars.. Boulders remain half carved.. Whatever was completed stays as completed.. Whatever was not stays as it is.. and both of these attracts tourists to large extent.. for completed structures gives architectural beauty.. incompleted structure gives a imaginative beauty

Well not only architecture, there is a bit of Mythology too attached. In the Ramayana, Devi Sita is abducted by the demon King Ravana from the forest in his Pushpaka Vimana (Flying vehicle). The King of Birds “Jatayu” fights with Ravana but in the process gets his wings cuts off and falls onto the ground. Lord Rama and Lakshmana walk through in search of Devi and find the injured “Jatayu”. Jatayu points out in the direction of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) where Ravana has taken Sita. As he does it, he breaths his last. Lord Rama, grief stricken by this incident, calls out to the bird “Le-Pakshi” (Get up Bird) The bird didnt get up, but the name did.. The name stood as town name, and the impression of Lords Feet is seen in the premises of the temple (As in pic above) where he is believed to have spoken to Jatayu

So when architecture and mythology go together, the incompleteness also become beautiful.. and the place becomes even more attractive.. Lepakshi, as a town has become a commercial centre too and the Town is also famous for its Silk Saree.. So a day off in Bangalore, Lepakshi can easily feature in the day trip place to visit

Timings: 

The shrine of Veerabhadra is open from 6AM and closes after Pooja around 12:30hrs and opens back around 4:30PM in the evening. However, except for the shrine, the temple is open for toruists to admire the completeness from morning till the evening

Location:

Lepakshi is located in Anantapur District of AndhraPradesh and is about 100 kms from Bangalore and about 410 kms from Hyderabad. Its located about 13 kms from the longest National Highway of the Country NH-7 (Varanasi to Kanniyakumari) in between the cities of Hyderabad and Bangalore.

How to Reach:

Rail :Lepakshi is located in the Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh. The nearest Railhead is Hindupur 13 kms away from here, which is on the Bangalore-Dharmavaram Trunk Line connecting to major cities of Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune and New Delhi.  Almost all trains on the Bangalore-Dharmavaram line have a halt at hindupur from where regular APSRTC buses (Express & Pallavelugu) ply.

Road: 

Option 1: Regular KSRTC buses (Ordinary) available from Bangalore to Hindupur from where Lepakshi is about 13 kms and connected by APSRTC buses regularly. KSRTC buses take the Bangalore-> Doddaballapura->Gauribidanur->Hindupur route. The total bus fare would be approx Rs. 120/- per person in the ordinary buses and take about 3 hrs from Bangalore

Option 2:  Though a slightly longer route via the National Highway-7, KSRTC/APSRTC buses on the route to Dharmavaram/Anantapur/Kurnool drop near Lepakshi Cross just after the Bagepalli Check post from where Hindupur bound APSRTC buses take you to Lepakshi. The fare in this route works out approx Rs. 130/- in the ordinary buses and take about 3 hrs.

Option 2 would be a better route if you are driving though the section as its completely 4 laned divided road up to the Bagepalli checkpost. After crossing the Bagepally toll gate, look for a Telugu-English signboard pointing to left for Lepakshi. Take a left and continue for about 13 kms to spot the Huge Nandi followed by the temple about 100 mtrs away

Food: APTDC hotel is present between the Temple and the Nandi statue. but apart from it very few other restaurants exist in the vicinity. APTDC also provides accommodation but the closeness to Bangalore ensures very few people actually stay in the Town

Best time to Visit:

Summers are best avoided. Monsoon would provide a complete relief through out the day if cloud cover is present. Winters provide relief for major part of the day but afternoons could be a bit scorching. Plenty of water, Caps, sunscreens to be a part of packing for any season visit